Shaid Mahmood Chief Officer, Communities Community Capacity/Social Capital/Asset Based Community Development: Why is it important?

“No society has the money to buy, at market prices, what it takes to raise children, make a neighbourhood safe, care for the elderly, make democracy work or address systemic injustices…..

The only way the world is going to address social problems is by enlisting the very people who are now classified as ‘clients’ and ‘consumers’ and converting them into co-workers, partners and rebuilders of the core economy”

Professor Edgar Cahn, US-based civil rights lawyer and inventor of Timebanks Asset Based Approaches in Leeds

- Implementing asset based approaches in Leeds
- Recognising that ABCD work is a spectrum of approaches and ways of working
- Establishing Pathfinder sites
- Hard-wiring asset based approaches into how we do things in Leeds
  - Building into Existing Contracts/Specifications/ Relationships
  - Buy-in from Council Directorates
  - Infrastructure and support Helen Binns

Project Manager Leeds Families First Programme What has been different during COVID?

- Working with Community Leaders across Leeds
- Offering practical support & removing the red tape
- Working as a ‘bridge’ with other directorates What have we learnt?

• ‘It takes a village to raise a Child’ • Working together for better outcomes • Support to develop trust in services Carmel Langstaff

Chief Officer, Transformation and Innovation, Adults & Health Key learning so far

• Investment in ABCD Pathfinders • System wide approach • It takes time:

- To work differently with citizens and communities
- To develop different approaches internally and externally
- To see the impact in terms of reducing demand Next Steps for ABCD in Leeds

We are already: • Strengthening partnerships • Developing additional pathfinder sites • Developing a different approach to commissioning • Measuring impact

We plan to: • Co-produce our plans with communities and the third sector • Articulate our ambition more clearly • Develop our workforce • Consider how to use our resources differently